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Jointly organised by NECF Malaysia, Scripture Union, Children at Risk Network and Focus on the Family Malaysia.

During the last decade there has been a frightening meltdown of character worldwide. What people say and do today would shock a previous generation. Unless this trend is reversed, each nation, and all civilisation, is threatened. What can we as concerned parents and teachers do to reverse this trend?

Dr V Gilbert Beers, author of KidbuildersTM, brings his daugther Kathy and grandson Kevin to answer that important question from the perspective of three generations in one family. What CAN we do, what MUST we do, to reverse this trend in character deterioration?

Parents in particular, teachers and church leaders as well as all those who are involved in children's ministry will find this seminar helpful. KidbuildersTM is a character-building programme based on the Life of Jesus, developed by Dr Beers.

Dr V Gilbert Beers has written more than 150 books, of which 100 are for children. Many of his books have appeared on the bestseller list, including Toddlers Bible, My Bedtime Anytime Storybook, The One Year Bible for Children and Tell Me the Story of Jesus. Thirty nine of his books have been published in 23 languages. He also helped develop nine specialty Bibles, including the Life Application Bible and the TouchPoint Bible. His most recent work is the Kidbuilders Character Building from the Life of Jesus programme.

Dr Beers has two earned doctorates – a PH.D. in communications from Northwestern University and a TH.D. from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is also listed on the Who’s Who in America under the sections Writers, Biblical Studies and Archaeology, Men of Achievement, and Contemporary Authors. Happily married for 53 years, Dr Beers and his wife Arlie have five children (one deceased) and 11 grandchildren. Helping children fall in love with the Bible is his life-long passion. He says, “If we can help children learn to love the Bible, they will love to learn the Bible.

His daughter Kathleen J Cathey, an accomplished musician having studied at the Mozarteum Conservatory in Salzburg, Austria, is a B.M.E. graduate from Wheaton College. She has received extensive training in all levels of Kindermusik and Musikgarten Early Childhood Curriculum, and currently is an early childhood music instructor at the Community School of the Arts in Wheaton College. Kathy has co-authoured The Preschoolers Family Story Book with Gilbert Beers, Jan Enge and Cynthia Grondahl in 1995.

As project coordinator for meeting Kenya’s Kids, she also wrote a missions curriculum for children as a result of her mission works with children at an elementary school in the slums of Nairobi. A mother of three – Sarah (21), Jonathan (19) and Kevin (16) – she also helps her husband Brad in his business and still actively plays the cello with several symphony orchestras.

His grandson Kevin Bradford Cathey, currently on the High Gold Honor Roll at Wheaton North High School, is an all rounder. This student leader is a Mathematics Olympian, a skilled keyboard player, a formidable soccer player, and still finds time to serve the Lord on short-term missions working with children at risk in Kenya.